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Indie developer Thom Roberton's fascinating co-op spaceship bridge simulator Artemis has received a hefty update with with all-new graphics, a price cut, online play and the ability to play with or against up to five other crews.

You can download a demo of version 1.3 from FileShack. The full game now costs only $40 for a full bridge license, which covers five computers. Artemis originally cost $60 when it launched in 2010. Robertson still offers a full money-back guarantee too.

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Artemis is the game every Star Trek fan has dreamed. Each player assumes responsibility for a station on the bridge of a starship, following the verbal orders of a captain as you patrol and defend space. It was originally only playable over LAN, pushing players into one room for a real bridge experience, but in 1.3 you can play online too. You'll need Skype or the like to order your crew to "Engage!" and "Make it so."

If you really want, though, you can go the whole hog with your own bridge, costumes and 'special effects,' as the player-made video below demonstrates.

Would-be starship crews can also win a copy of Artemis for free by recording a video of themselves playing the Artemis demo and sharing it with the world.

Here's the patch notes for version 1.3:

All new artwork; new spaceships and a new user interface.

Price reduction to $40 for a bridge license (valid for 5 computers).

Up to 6 crews can now battle each other or work together in jump-in multiplayer.

Full online play is now possible. So the game is no longer only for LANs.

Added asteroid fields.

Added three different torpedoes: homing, nuke, and mine.

More customization options.

Added the ship editor tool. Now modders can add their own enemy ships to the game.